Bunbeg, Ireland

It's a good thing my camera dried out because I've happened upon a really gorgeous place in Northern Ireland. I am staying for a couple of nights in Gweedore, Ireland at the An Chuirt. I came up this way originally to go to Leo's Tavern. They were having a show in support of keeping their hillside power line free and some pretty good folks were on the bill. (ok.. I was following Glen Hansard and Mundy, not so much to support the power line thing.) I traveled all day to get there, only to be turned away at the door. Sold out! I tried to beg my way in with the door man, Barclay - Enya's brother, he said to come back around 10:30 or 11 and maybe I could get in. Back in the states a show would be over by then, so I decided not to go back. I had a nice hot bath and tucked myself into bed with my book about Yeats and Gonne. After a long day of traveling, I was pretty worn out. The next morning, in the Hotel lobby, I overheard a conversation about the how the show at Leos had gone on until 3am. I was totally bummed I didn't try to go back. Oh, well.. I got to see Glen in Dublin, and Mundy in Mullingar, so, what- evs. Whatever the reason was to get me to this part of the country, I was completely happy to be here. 


This morning I called for a taxi, run by a local man, Popeye (no relation to the sailor- so he says), and his family. Maureen, his wife, picked me up at the Hotel and we had a lovely conversation about how much of an impression I had made on her son, Padraig, with my story of Texas tornados. I had met Popeye, and Padraig the night before when they took me to Leos. Padraig, a red headed, freckle faced 8 year old, has aspirations of being a meteorologist and is infatuated by Storm Chasers. She dropped me off at the beach in Bunbeg.

gorgeous morning walk

ship wreck 

I was the only person on the beach for most of my walk. The tide was out, and I walked pretty far out into the bay. I saw lots of clams, and other little creatures in the tide pools. The water is really clear. Really colorful. I couldn't capture the color on camera. It was really beautiful.

gorgeous blue even on a cloudy morning

I walked all around the cove then climbed to the top of the hillside.

wee village in Bunbeg

I ran into one of those walking path things, and you know the rules, I had to follow. This is where it led me:

pac man?

I saw a couple of wandering Jack Russell Terriers on my walk. They belonged to a man named Hugh D'Bugs, at least that what it sounded like to me, it could very well be something else. He owned the local Pub. We talked about music, he plays the fiddle and piano, and how his family had been in that area for generations. His brother, funnily enough, is married to a woman from Klamath Falls Oregon! In my quest to understand the history of Ireland, I started asking some questions about "the troubles". He seemed to get a bit uncomfortable, and didn't want to talk much about it. Shortly after that, we parted ways. Hmmm - I bet there is a good story there. I continued back down to the beach, and ended my walk at the local cafe for a late lunch, then contacted Maureen for a ride back to the hotel. She had both Padraig and Molly, her daughter, in tow. Molly wanted to meet the American, and Padraig was hoping to hear more details about the tornado. 

It was a lovely day in Bunbeg. I had a great time walking the beach, picking up shells, climbing rocks, and wandering the hillsides. I returned to the Hotel in Gweedore and watched a futbol match in the bar, had dinner, and a pint. There were lots of oldsters watching the match. Every other word out of the "ancient one" was "feck!" or "feckin ref!". When the Celtics made a goal he would yell "feckin' good craic!" (translation: craic is pronounced crack and means good time or something like that). I have met a lot of great folks here, and have felt really well taken care of. They will go out of their way to show you how proud they are of their town, and culture. I'm very fortunate to have experienced that. Next stop - Galway!